Books are a gateway to other worlds. They can be anchors that keep a reader grounded in a story, or wings elevating readers to places they’ve only imagined. But for some students, books can be hard to come by.
Books-A-Million recently donated more than 480 books to Charles County students who are homeless or in foster care.
“Children who are homeless or in foster care often don’t have much that they can call their own,” said Meighan Hungerford, acting director of elementary instruction. “We want to give them something that is theirs. Something that will enrich their lives.”
Books-A-Million customers donated titles to a summer book drive that the store started in late July. The store’s co-manager Allie Petherick said she was “thrilled” by the response. “We reached 114 percent of our goal,” she said. “As the only bookstore in Charles County — and I as a parent too — we know how much [educators] do out of pocket. We wanted to say ‘Thank you.’”
Customers could select books to donate, or take the suggestion of a sales clerk. Books collected ranged from Dr. Seuss classics to Sherlock Holmes mysteries, from Laura Ingalls Wilder book sets to graphic novels. Pupil personal workers will give out the books to students in need.